I come to you asking for advice for a Job Interview it might sound daft but I have never had a proper Job Interview! I have my first on Monday :-| I am just wondering as alot of you are network managers / system managers and must have been on the other side of the interviewing process, what would you say are some doos and dont'?

10 Replies

One of the big things about the interview is to see how well you'll fit in with the team. Be open, friendly, but before answering questions, always give yourself a second to think it through. Come out with an answer that makes it sound like you know what you're talking about not just beating around the bush. Ask questions yourself (I wouldn't discuss things like money, benefits, or such, there a place for that later). The kind of questions I'd ask is about their setup, what problems they're facing, and if possible, give some feedback on those issues.

There's nothing wrong with admitting you don't know the answer to a technical question, sometimes the question is designed to find out if you know how to figure things out (had one guy that looked me right in the eye and said , "Sir, that's why God invented Google!").

Show up with a couple of extra copies of your resume, and if you have the chance, research the company, know what it does, key people, and if you can, research the folks who will be interviewing you.

One that stumps people is common questions, "Tell me about yourself." Don't answer, "There's not much to tell". You'll be foregotten before the interview is over. Have a good story to tell. Another one that trips folks up is "Why do you want to work for us". Need a job is always a good answer, but add to it if you can, talk about challenges, and etc..

One that stumps people is common questions, "Tell me about yourself." Don't answer, "There's not much to tell". You'll be foregotten before the interview is over. Have a good story to tell. Another one that trips folks up is "Why do you want to work for us". Need a job is always a good answer, but add to it if you can, talk about challenges, and etc..

Good advice, but I have to say I always hated those "open" questions referenced in the quote above. I have no good stories to tell about myself, I am a boring person. As far as why I want to work for you, generally it's one of three things. 1) I need a job 2) I liked what i saw regarding the job and think it would be cool to work there 3) I liked the pay you are offering. Or a combination of the above. Generally speaking you never mention the 3rd one, but hey on a recent interview I actually said as part of my reason for wanting to work there was "To be completely candid, I want to earn more than I am earning now." It actually went over pretty well.

Don't give any information that is not true. Sometimes people want to look good and "embellish" a bit but you never know what the interviewer is focusing on and planning to make decisions on.

Don't answer questions that are not asked. The obvious one is "How are you?" and the expected response is "Fine, thanks for asking." No one really wants to know everything about how good or bad you feel. Likewise, if you are asked a question about a technical issue that happens to be influenced by government regulations then answer the part that is asked - don't contribute your personal feelings on the government part.

Be able to back up any claims to expertise - any challenges on the first interview would probably be to separate you from the "wanna-be's" so you may only have to establish that you understand the question aand that you know the answer and outline the steps invovled in coming up with the answer.

Good luck. If there are job openings in which you are interested that means that they WANT to hire someone.

It is important that you realize when they ask you to "tell us something about yourself", your answer should be pertinent to your career. They don't need to know that you like video games or have 12 cats. Personal questions are not about you, they are about thinking on your feet and proving that you have an aptitude for the job.

I once had an applicant tell us he was a recovering meth addict. That on it's own isn't a deal breaker as much as his lapse in judgement.

Another popular question is "Tell us about one of your biggest successes/failures" Make sure you have some good answers loaded, all with the point being that you learn from your failures and aren't afraid to succeed.

I recommend you go on a couple somewhere else just for practice. Or ask someone you respect for help and ask them to put you through a practice interview.

On the "Tell us something about yourself" question. I got my present job (16 years now) because of one thing I said to that question. I was in a dead tie (my boss later told me) until I answered with this?

"Tell us something about yourself."

"Well, I'm excited about working here, I have the full support of my family to make this move. You see I'm a very lucky man. I married my Best Friend, my kids think I'm a hero, and I get paid all week to do what I love to play at on the weekend. It just doesn't get much better."

It made a last impression and after I got the job my boss told me how that statement put me above the other contenders.

Make a portfolio of your accomplishments, certifications and training. Include some code you may have written, scripts or systems you have documented. Make sure it's up-to-date and pertinent to the job. Expect some off-the-wall questions and don't B.S. the interviewers. They already know the correct answer.

I have easily gotten every job I have ever wanted by doing 1 thing. Be passionate about doing IT work! Talk to your interviewer about how you love to solve problems and how you will do what it takes to get the job done.

My current boss recently told me that I was hired because I spoke like I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning.